The Ancient Origins of Plastic Surgery

Plastic Surgery, as we know it today, goes back a long long way. The first known record of plastic surgery was in 1213 BC, when ancient Egyptians tried to preserve the nose of their dead king by surgically inserting bones and seeds into it. 

3000 years later, plastic surgery has evolved into a recognized medical specialty, with the numbers undergoing the knife steadily increasing year after year. 

The picture below gives us an interesting insight into how the Ancients did it - before Botox and Lasers. 

Peptides in Anti-Aging Skincare - A Useful Glossary

I wrote about peptides in skincare creams for anti-aging - what they are, how they work and what to look out for when considering a peptide product.

Choosing a peptide cream can be a nightmare with so many such creams in the market. The strange way these peptides are named do not make your task any easier either. To make things worse, the names of peptides frequently change, creating more confusion.

New peptides are constantly emerging in the skincare arena, making a comprehensive list difficult. Here, I attempt to list and describe some of the more popular anti-aging peptides which you may come across when browsing for beauty products.

Peptides have a chemical name, such as Pamitoyl Oligopeptide, and a trade name, such as Matrixyl. Either its chemical or trade name may be used in the ingredient list of a product.


Acetyl Glutamyl Octapeptide-3 
(Formerly Acetyl Glutamyl Heptapeptide-3)
Trade name: SNAP-8.

SNAP-8 is an elongation of the famous neuropeptide, Argireline (see below). SNAP-8 reduces the depth of wrinkles on the face caused by the contraction of muscles of facial expression, especially in the forehead and around the eyes. SNAP-8 seems to have equal anti-wrinkle properties compared to Argireline: in a 2001 study which compares Argireline, SNAP-8, and Placebo, on forehead wrinkles, SNAP-8 performed fairly better, achieving wrinkle depth reduction of 35% which Argireline achieved about 28%. However, Argireline has been shown to perform better than SNAP-8 in other areas besides the forehead.

It is most commonly found as an active ingredient in eye serums and anti-wrinkle creams that focus on the wrinkles and fine lines on the forehead.

Find it in: Peter Thomas Roth UnWrinkle Eye,


Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 
(formerly Acetyl Hexapeptide-3)
Trade name: Argireline

Argireline blocks transmission of nerve signals which cause facial muscles to contract. Like SNAP-8, it relaxes your facial muscles, preventing fine lines and wrinkles from forming along the line of expression.

Find it in: Epicuren Ultima Peptide



Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9
Trade name: Dermican

Dermican is clinically shown to stimulate collagen I and the synthesis of Lumican, a proteoglycan (which decrease with age). Lumican is involved in the organisation of collagen fibres. Hence, Dermican firms the skin and combats skin aging.

Find it in: Celazome No.45 Peptide Complex


Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11 
Trade name: Syniorage 

Clinically shown to stimulate synthesis of proteoglycans which help wth epidermal cohesion, and Collagen XVII. Demonstrated benefits include increased skin firmness and resistance and increased skin radiance.

Find it in: Euoko Y-42 Fractional Neck Lift Concentrate.


Arginine/Lysine Polypeptide

A peptide that acts as a sugar trap, binding free sugar that would react with proteins to form Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs). AGEs accelarate skin ageing.

Find it in: Dermalogica Age Smart Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 30


Dipeptide-2

Dipeptide-2 helps improve lymphatic circulation and detoxifies skin. Of note, it improves drainage of under-eye bags, and hence is used primarily in eye creams.

Find it in: StriVectin-SD Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles, Hylexin



Copper Tri-peptide

Copper has been used for years to treat chronic wounds, as research has shown that it is an effective agent in skin healing. It clears away damaged cells, rebuilds the skin's circulatory system, activates the skin's primary antioxidant protein and stimulates the production of new collagen. However, the cationic copper has problems penetrating the skin. Interestingly, when attached to a peptide, copper can be delivered more effectively deep into the dermis. Copper Tri-peptide is a copper bound to a peptide for better skin delivery.

Find it in: iS Clinical Super Serum

Anti-Aging Peptide Creams - What You Need to Know

You may or may not have heard of peptides in skincare creams, but you would definitely have come across it. Walk past any departmental store and you will see products like Lancome Genifique, Kinerase Pro+Therapy and countless others, promising to 'activate your genes to give you more youthful skin'. These products, in fact, make use of peptides for anti-ageing benefits.

The Search for the 'Perfect' Collagen

Collagen gives our skin its plumb and youthful appearance. As we age, we lose collagen, causing lines to form and skin to sag. For years, scientists have been trying to deliver collagen into the skin, but the attempts proved futile, as the the collagen molecule was too large to penetrate the formidable skin barrier. In recent years, cosmeceutical companies have started using soluble collagen - collagen molecules which have been broken down into much smaller fragments to facilitate absorption. Unfortunately, these do not do much for the skin, as the collagen fragments are too small to integrate with our skin's own collagen. 

What are Peptides? 

Peptides are short chains of amino-acids, bound together by peptide bonds. Amino-acids are the building blocks of all proteins in our body, including the collagen and elastin in our skin. Each collagen molecule is, in fact, made of thousands of amino-acids pieced together and wound up in a triple helical network.

Although fragmenting the collagen molecule did not work, scientists found that something else did - peptide chains which resembled the collagen precursors. Amazingly, they found that some peptide chains which are structurally similar to the molecules which forms collagen stimulates the skin to increase the production of the key constituents of the skin matrix: collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans.

How do Peptides Work?

Scientists are only starting to realise the wonders of peptides. They have been around for only a few years, but we have discovered more and more different mechanisms in which they exert their beneficial effects.

1. Stimulate Collagen

These were the first peptides used, and are still widely used today. Popular peptides like Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4), Matrixyl 3000 (Palmitoyl Oligopeptide + Palmitoyl Tripeptide-7) and SYN-Coll (Palmitoyl Tripeptide-3) work by stimulating fibroblasts in the skin to produce collagen and elastin.

2. Relax Facial Muscles

This group of peptides, also called 'neuropeptides', are known to block the transmission of neurotransmitters in skin cells to relax the facial muscles - very much like Botox. Peptides in this group include Argireline (Acetyl Hexapeptide-3) and SYN-AKE (Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate).

3. Regulate Inflammation

Peptides like Rigin (Pamitoyl Tetrapeptide-7)  helps control cytokines (Interluekine 6) secretion in the skin.  Cytokines are responsible for the inflammatory process which contributes to skin ageing, hence, by restoring cytokine balance in mature skin, Rigin improves skin elasticity and firmness, as it hydrates and protects the skin.

4. Facilitate Copper Delivery

Copper has been used for years to treat chronic wounds, as research has shown that it is an effective agent in skin healing. It clears away damaged cells, rebuilds the skin's circulatory system, activates the skin's primary antioxidant protein and stimulates the production of new collagen. However, the cationic copper has problems penetrating the skin. Interestingly, when attached to a peptide, copper can be delivered more effectively deep into the dermis. These 'Copper Peptides', found in products like iS Clinical Super Serum, seem to promote collagen production, act as antioxidants and facilitate natural healing and regeneration of the skin.

Promising New Applications

Besides its anti-ageing properties, newer peptides are being produced for skin lightening. These peptides inhibit the formation of tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for melanin production. Melanostatine®-5, or example, is a biomimetic peptide antagonist specific for the a-MSH (a- Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone).

Many physicians have already realised the potential of these lightening agents, and are combining using them with other procedures such as Lasers and IPL for improved cosmetic outcomes.

The Downside- And What to Look Out For

While peptides may sound exciting, there are some points to note before you rush down to the nearest departmental store to pick up a bottle.

Peptides, being break-down products of proteins, tend to be unstable, and need to be stabilized or they will break down further and become useless. They also have to be present in the right concentrations - too low a  peptide content and they will not work effectively; and strangely, for some peptides like Argireline, studies have shown that too high a content (more than 10% concentration) causes a reverse effect and for skin to sag!

Unfortunately, many good peptide creams will cost you a small fortune. My favourite peptide cream, Epicuren Ultima Peptide, retails for SGD $250 a bottle, but I still recommend it to my patients confidently, as it is absolutely worth every cent.

It may be extremely confusing to browse through the hundreds of anti-aging peptide creams. Check out my blog post detailing the different peptides, to get an idea on what ingredients to look for; and check out the Top 5 Peptide Creams here. Hopefully, these will give you a better idea on how to choose a better product.